Excl: Etebo out of the rest of Olympic Games
The 20-year old was taken off injured in Nigeria’s final group game against Colombia, in which they suffered a 2-0 defeat, having already qualified to the quarterfinals.
There had been hopes the Feirense of Portugal striker would recover in time for the semifinal, but fcnaija.com can now confirm that he will not only miss the game against Germany, but will also miss the subsequent match after the semifinal.
“Etebo is out, he is not fit to play against Germany and will not be fit after that. I would say he is effectively out of the tournament,” a top official of the Nigerian team informed only fcnaija.com.
Etebo is currently Nigeria’s top scorer at the Olympic Games in Brazil with four goals, all coming in the opening day win over Japan.
He will now be the second key member of the squad that will miss the semifinal clash against Germany, with vice-captain Okechukwu Azubuike suspended, having received a booking in the 2-0 quarterfinal win over Denmark, following another booking against Colombia.
While Etebo’s absence may be a huge blow to Samson Siasia’s plans, he will however have the returning Junior Ajayi to cushion the effect of losing Etebo.
Ajayi only made his first appearance in the Games as a substitute in the win over Denmark, after recovering from an injury he picked up during their training camp in the United States.
The game against Germany comes up on Wednesday at 8pm Nigerian time.
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